How We Are Able to Offer the Best-Priced Drifting School Lessons in Japan
Matenro Drift Racing is a drift school that offers some of the most affordable drifting lessons around the Tokyo area.
We have great respect for the famous Sideways Experience at Ebisu Circuit, which is one of the most well-known drifting destinations in Japan. However, the cost can be quite high, and the location is roughly a five-hour drive from Tokyo, which can be difficult for many visitors.
We were the first company to offer foreigner-friendly drift lessons in the greater Tokyo area. Since then, several companies have started offering similar services, which is great for the industry. However, many of these lessons are priced extremely high, making it difficult for people to casually experience drifting.
Of course, drifting is an expensive motorsport. We fully understand why many companies charge premium prices — because the costs are real. However, we wanted to make drifting more accessible. That’s why we created a pricing structure that is significantly more affordable.
Many people ask how this is possible. The truth is, there are several key reasons. In this article, we will explain how we are able to offer some of the best-priced drift lessons near Tokyo.
1. Half of Our Staff Are Professional Mechanics
One of the biggest reasons we can keep costs low is that about half of our team are professional mechanics.
In their daily jobs, they work on everything from regular street cars to drift cars. Drifting is also their personal hobby, which means all of our lesson cars are maintained in-house by our own team.
As many people know, drifting is extremely expensive. Cars constantly need repairs, and something usually breaks or needs maintenance almost every week.
Most drift schools must outsource mechanical work, which significantly increases operating costs. Because we handle maintenance ourselves, we can keep costs much lower.
To be completely honest, parts are still expensive, and we operate very close to the limit financially. But we do this because we love drifting and want more people to experience it. And yes — if customers ever feel like leaving a small tip, we truly appreciate it (just joking… but also not totally joking).
2. We Are an Official Partner of Minami Chiba Circuit
Another major reason we can keep prices low is our partnership with Minami Chiba Circuit.
Most drift schools must pay high circuit rental fees, which directly increases lesson pricing. Because we are an official partner, we are able to use the circuit at a much lower cost.
In addition, we help support drift lesson operations and events at Minami Chiba Circuit. This creates a strong mutual support relationship and positive synergy between both sides.
Looking ahead, we are planning to open a dedicated Matenro Drift Racing booth and workshop facility at Minami Chiba Circuit. This will make our partnership even stronger and help us continue offering great value to customers.
3. Our Passion for Drifting Drives Everything We Do
The final reason is simple — love.
We truly love drifting culture. We never want to lose to anyone when it comes to passion for drifting. More importantly, we want to share this incredible, rebellious, uniquely Japanese-born car culture with the world.
Drifting was a huge part of our youth, and even today, it’s something we deeply enjoy together as friends and teammates. When visitors come to Japan, we genuinely want them to experience this culture.
Because of this, we work very hard to create pricing that allows more people to participate. We operate close to the limit to keep prices as accessible as possible.
Even so, we understand that drifting lessons are not “cheap.” For car enthusiasts, our pricing usually makes sense. But we also want beginners — even those who know nothing about cars — to feel comfortable trying drifting for the first time.
Our goal is simple: We want as many people as possible to experience one of the coolest car cultures ever created in Japan.
Summary
Drifting will never be a cheap motorsport — but we believe it should be accessible.
At Matenro Drift Racing, we keep our prices competitive through in-house mechanical expertise, strong circuit partnerships, and a deep passion for drifting culture.
We don’t cut corners on safety, quality, or authenticity. Instead, we focus on smart operations and teamwork to make drifting more available to everyone.
If you are visiting Japan and want to experience real drifting culture without unrealistic pricing, we would love to welcome you.
Come experience real Japanese drifting — the way it was meant to be.